Trade War

[Jimbo]

As I've said in our Trade War thread:


The rising Hate Towards China may exacerbate boycotts and the trade war. However, this will affect products across the board - not just martial arts gear.

Unfortunately, in regards to manufacturing, companies the world over have ‘put all their eggs in one basket’ in China, and now we will (most likely) see the dire consequences of that. I realize that manufacturing in China is cheaper, but regarding martial arts uniforms alone, I would rather spend more for a quality product that’s going to last, than buy a cheap product that wears out prematurely. Then you haven’t saved any money at all, but are actually spending more in the long run, because you have to keep replacing cheap gear. There is a saying: “Buy quality and cry only once.”

Not that that has any bearing on me anymore. Since I no longer attend classes or teach, my training “uniform” for the past several years has consisted of sweat pants (or loose-fitting cargo pants) and a T-shirt.

The time is long overdue for US and other international companies to move manufacturing, if not all back home, then to other, alternate countries outside of China. I say this, and I am not anti-China (but I’m not getting into politics). I am anti-over-reliance on China, or any other country, on making everything we depend on and giving one country so much power.